Northern Lehigh School District awaits $245,000 reimbursement from state for construction project

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

By TERRY AHNER tahner@tnonline.com

Northern Lehigh School District continues to await a $245,000 reimbursement it's owed from the Pennsylvania Department of Education for a construction project.

Sherri Molitoris, co-director of business affairs/human resources, informed the school board on Monday that the state governor plans to extend the reimbursement moratorium to school districts by another year.

The district submitted its PlanCon Part H in Aug. of 2011, said Molitoris, who noted that to date, $245,000 has been lost from the state based on the amount the district would have received on payments it already made.

Molitoris said that if the district never gets any kind of reimbursement, it could stand to lose over $4 million that it should have been reimbursed over the life of the bond.

However, Molitoris noted that charter schools continue to receive reimbursement on their construction projects.

Also on Monday, Molitoris discussed the new budget overhaul known as sequestration.

Molitoris stated that it would not affect the 2012-13 school year, but would affect the 2013-14 school year.

She said the district would realize 5.3-percent in cuts: $26,000 in Title I funding; $5,500 in Title II funding; and $19,300 in IDEA funding, for a loss of $51,000 in federal programs next year.

Molitoris said the district did take out from the 2013-14 budget to account for the possibility.

In other business, the board:

- Approved the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Northern Lehigh School District and the Northern Lehigh Educational Support Personnel Association.

- Approved the new Salary and Benefit Agreement between the Northern Lehigh School District and the Northern Lehigh Licensed Practical Nurses.

- Approved the new agreement between the Northern Lehigh School District and the Assistant to the Food Service Director.

- Due to budget constraints, authorized administration to discontinue sponsorship of students who attend Northampton Area Community College degree programs not offered at LCCC. Current students already enrolled in programs will continue to be sponsored until graduation.

- Appointed Director Raymond Follweiler, Jr., as CLIU representative for the term July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2016.

- Approved the request of employee #4370 to take a 12-week family medical leave on or about April 22, 2013. She is requesting to exhaust all accumulated sick and personal days. She plans to return to her current teaching position at the beginning of the 2013-14 school year.

- Approved Alyssa Minnich, Elementary Education, as a substitute teacher for the 2012-13 school year at the 2012-13 substitute teacher rates as approved on the Supplementary Personnel Salary Schedule.

- Approved Laura Landis and Jamie Kuhns as substitute cafeteria workers for the 2012-13 school year at the 2012-13 substitute rate as approved on the Supplementary Personnel Salary Schedule. Landis is pending verification of missing documents.

- Approved Melissa Hunter as substitute secretary, aide, and cafeteria worker for the 2012-13 school year at the 2012-13 substitute rate as approved on the Supplementary Personnel Salary Schedule.

- Approved a field trip request by the Senior High Science Club to attend the American Museum of Natural History in New York, NY, on April 1, 2013, to be funded by the Science Club students.

- Approved the renewal of the district's cellular phone service agreement with Verizon Wireless for two phone lines to be used by its Maintenance Department, and one line each for the superintendent and athletic director, at a total cost of $202 per month. This is a month-to-month agreement, and there are no cancellation fees if the agreement is terminated early.

- Allowed administration to sign the letter of intent to participate in the Overdrive Consortium for CLIU districts to provide e-books, audiobooks, and other digital content at a cost not to exceed $2,500 per year, based on participation by other school districts.

- Moved to establish compensation rates, effective July 1, 2014, for Northern Lehigh School District elected and appointed real estate and per capita tax collectors as follows: First 2,000 bills collected, $1.77 each; per bill collected over 2,000, $1.31 each.